Could ‘Earthly Order’ Solve Our Environmental Crisis? | Saleem H Ali

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Although nature doesn’t directly determine human fate, it’s important that we understand how natural laws affect our lives. Understanding Earthly Order can help us effectively spark change.

WELCOME TO THE DARIN OLIEN SHOW

Saleem H Ali wants you to understand the Earthly Order. 

Although he was born in Massachusetts, Saleem Ali grew up in Lahore, Pakistan until his college years. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Tufts University, followed by his Masters and Ph.D. degree in environmental policy and planning at Yale and MIT. He currently holds the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professorship in Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware (USA) and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland.

Dr. Ali has traveled to over 150 countries for his research on Earthly Order and environmental issues. And he has been chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Art and the Royal Geographical Society in the United Kingdom. Saleem also serves on the boards of Adventure Scientists and Mediators Beyond Borders International. His upcoming book, Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life reflects his global research and ever-expanding knowledge on the subject.

I loved this conversation,

and frankly, I could speak to Saleem all day! A lot of my gripes with the environmental movement is that focus isn’t where it needs to be. It’s great to have someone on the show that shares that sentiment and can articulate it so beautifully. In this episode, Saleem helps break down the phenomenon of the “rebound effect”. When we overuse products that are supposed to be “efficient”, like electric cars, we can actually be worsening our environmental impact. Instead, we should be using the concept of Earthly Order to make more science-based decisions. According to Dr. Ali, humanity has either tried to conquer or capitulate to natural order. But what we should actually be doing is seeking to understand latent structures and patterns that permeate all systems and develop an earthly order that is socially functional and sustainable. This may sound complicated, but it’s actually as simple as you can get!